How Many Complaints

Does It Take?”

SDCI’s Pattern of Administrative Closures and Delayed Enforcement

Seattle’s Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) is responsible for enforcing the housing code. Yet despite this mandate, public records and tenant testimony show a recurring pattern: serious complaints are closed without inspection, marked as resolved based on landlord assurances, or delayed until the issue has escalated.

At the Lowell Emerson Apartments, tenants filed complaints for lack of hot water, heating failures, flooding, and broken elevators. Many of these complaints were closed with outcomes like “No Violation Observed,” “Admin Closure,” or “Duplicate,” even when clear evidence of the issues was submitted. Some were closed without inspection, while others were delayed for months.

In May 2023, a coordinated inspection by SDCI documented over 85 violations, including missing smoke alarms and fire door failures. Yet it wasn’t until mid-2024 — over a year later — that enforcement deadlines were finally addressed. Tenants continued living in unsafe conditions long after violations were confirmed.

SDCI’s own public data show tens of thousands of open or unresolved complaints. At the same time, inspection data fields like "Last Inspection Date" are often blank or replaced with geographic coordinates, making it impossible to verify timelines or compliance status.

Meanwhile, landlords are allowed to self-certify under the Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance (RRIO), even when they have unresolved violations on file. This undermines both the intent and the integrity of the program.

These are not isolated mistakes. They are part of a pattern that raises serious questions about oversight, enforcement capacity, and transparency.